


Can't Run

by EspeciallyMegan, zionga



Category: Persona 4, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Genre: Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Eventual Relationships, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-04-25 04:33:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4946866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspeciallyMegan/pseuds/EspeciallyMegan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zionga/pseuds/zionga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this town, there are eyes everywhere. You can't leave, you can't run- you can only hide. Unfortunately, one man makes staying hidden particularly difficult.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We're excited to bring you this fic! This has been in the works for a little while now, so we hope you enjoy it!

"Hello, police?"

The young man's breathing is ragged as he tugs on the twisted cord with one tense fist. He sweats buckets as he speaks, every part of his body shaking in fear. Swallowing back the thick lump in his throat, he tugs hard on the telephone cord one last time before he chooses to speak again.

"Someone's after me. I'm scared."

* * *

The past few days have been rough. Hot summer weather, long working hours, air conditioning units breaking down all over the place. All of Yosuke's dirty shirts reeked of sweat and him leaving them on his bedroom floor just made the room stink.

Nobody does the laundry in apartment 417. There's a washing machine- it's broken, though, and it would be too expensive to repair. Even if Yosuke added up every penny he owns plus Teddie's funds, there still wouldn't be enough to cover rent, food, a couple of drinks at the weekend _and_ a technician's expenses. (It wasn't Yosuke's fault Junes gave all its employees horrible salaries.) Sometimes he just had to drag Teddie away from the TV and shoo him off to the laundromat two blocks away. That way they had clean clothes, the lazy blonde boy got his exercise and Yosuke could have his shout over Netflix for a while.

Enough about laundry, though. This particular day had been exhausting, with temperatures of almost forty celcius, with unsatisfied employees screaming at him to change their schedules (they already  _know_ he can't do that), with babysitting Teddie as children pulled at him from all directions. He deserved a drink that night. It was a Saturday, he didn't need to go to work tomorrow, he wasn't underage any more and there was nobody to tell him he couldn't. Nobody can tell you what to do when you're twenty-four.

They go to the usual place- the Shiroku Pub. Yosuke's been there almost every weekend since he turned twenty-one, watching how the interior and customers change with each passing week.

"Good evening, boys. Welcome." The hostess greets him and Teddie as they enter together, leaning against the counter as the two men slid into two empty bar stools. "The usual?"

Teddie thought for a moment. "Eeh, maybe I'll try something different. What d'you think, Yosuke?"

"Sure. Anything new in?"

"A few. The Konishis have been working hard lately- gave me a couple new ones just this afternoon." The hostess nodded, pointing at a beer tap across the counter. "I'll bring you two a sample. Give me a bit."

Yosuke ignored the woman as she bustled off to serve drinks. The bar was a little empty for a Saturday night. Two men were playing darts in the corner of the room, a married couple sat at a table together drinking and there were a few lone men sat at the bar counter. _Maybe other people will get here later,_ Yosuke thought. _It's still pretty early._

When the drinks came the two boys savored them. One was golden and the other much darker, both strong and with a summery flavor. They ordered a pint of each and drank like sponges, leaving barely any liquid in the glass.

Two pints later (for Teddie three) the bar was more crowded. Yosuke watched the customers flow in- a few Junes workers he recognized, a group of people all dressed in suits, a short boy in a blue coat and hat who kept staring at other customers. The poker table was set up and the suit-clad party claimed it, betting their wallets on chance alone.

When Yosuke's phone chimes with an email from his father, he starts tapping away, only stopping to check on Teddie. The blond boy seemed to be attempting stand-up comedy as he stood at the poker table, only getting pity laughter or a chuckle at his drunken slang. Yosuke sighed, leaving his phone on the bar counter and getting up to take care of his friend. Sometimes he really questions Teddie's low alcohol tolerance.

"Yosuke!" Teddie's face lit up like a lamp as Yosuke walked over, spinning a full three-sixty before crashing into him and knocking him backwards. Luckily, a table broke his fall instead of the floor. A woman screamed as he fell down, and the sound of metal chair legs screeched against the floor. Customers turned their heads at the commotion, most brushing it off as nothing and looking away. Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief and pushed himself up.

The next thing he knew, a gun was being pointed at his head.

Yosuke jumped back in shock, apologizing profusely as he stepped away. The gunman mirrored his movements, pursuing him until Yosuke walked into something. Swallowing hard, he looked up.

"Where d'you think you're going?"

Yosuke almost screamed.

He punched the man in the chest with a weak fist, mentally cursing himself for even trying. The blond man hit back with just as much force, winding him before shoving him headfirst into the table of Junes workers. Most of them stood up, with one woman releasing an ear-splitting shriek at the sight of blood dripping from Yosuke's head- and if the crash didn't get everyone's attention, the scream sure did.

"Oh my god!"

"He's got a gun!"

"Someone, call the cops!"

The bar was chaos. Most of the customers had flocked to the bar, watching all hell break loose. One of Yosuke's coworkers punched the blond man in the face, making him wince in pain. When he recovered, a flushed Teddie jumped onto his back and covered his eyes with one arm, leaving him completely open to attacks. The dark-skinned gunman was staring into the eyes of the blue-clad boy from the bar, who had pulled out a gun of his own and kept his eyes on his opponent.

Yosuke pushed himself up off of the floor and wiped away the blood dripping down his neck. Somewhere in the distance, sirens could be heard, alerting the suit-clad gang. Most of them ran to the exit immediately, with two or three taking their time before following- and while other bar patrons shouted at them, nobody tried to stop them. Yosuke heard tires screeching outside, fading away into the distance as the sirens grew ever closer.

Pulling Teddie up from the floor, Yosuke dragged him through the exit, giving him a moment to compose himself. "Damnit, Ted! Why'd you have to drink so much?" He complained.

"I'm sorry, Yosuke!" Teddie's face fell, his pink flush dying slightly. "Hey, can we go? I'm sleepy."

"Hell yes, we can go." Yosuke breathed, locking his arm with his drunken friend's.

And they ran.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don't know how often we'll add to this fic, but we can say for sure it will be updated _at least_ once a month and each chapter will have  >1k words. Sit tight, kids.

Yosuke was up almost the whole night.

He couldn't be blamed, really- he was almost a yakuza plaything, for crying out loud. If he hadn't have crashed into his coworkers, he would've died for sure.

When he eventually fell asleep, he woke up to Teddie vigorously shaking his shoulder.

"What the hell, Ted..." he groaned, lashing his arm out and hitting his roommate in the stomach.

"Yosuke! How beary rude!" Teddie complained, sitting down next to Yosuke's bed. His eyes looked slightly red, indicating signs of a hangover. "Something came in the mail for you!

Confused, Yosuke frowned. He didn't recall ordering from the Tanaka shopping channel and he couldn't think of anyone who would send him anything. Hell, it wasn't even the right day for mail to be delivered, unless he somehow slept all the way to Wednesday.

"Alright, let's have a look," he muttered, sitting up in bed and taking the small package from Teddie's outstretched hands.

The package was ridiculously small, too small to be dangerous at least. The sender barely managed to write "Yosuke Hanamura" on a white stick-on label, with his apartment number painted in white on the other side. He had to dig his nails in to open it (it was covered in a sort of black plastic instead of brown paper) and when he finally did, he was shocked with what he had been sent.

It was his own mobile phone.

"Oh, shit." Yosuke's face paled. He hit the 'power' button with a shaky finger and a text notification instantly appeared on the screen. With tense muscles, he touched the envelope icon with his fingertip.

_You have twenty-four hours to run. Make the most of it._

Yosuke's eyes widened. He dropped his phone onto his lap. They took his phone. They have his personal details.

"Oh, God." he whimpered in disbelief. "No, no, no, this _cannot_ be happening!"

"What can't be happening?" Teddie asked, confused. "Are you alright, Yosuke? Do you want breakfast?"

"Y-Yes, please." he nodded, dismissing the blond boy into the kitchen.

The moment Teddie left, Yosuke laid back down and yelled into his pillow, pulling his arms over his head. He'd heard about the yakuza in Inaba- heard about how violent and dangerous they can be. He's even seen their behaviour with his own two eyes.

Yosuke rolled out of bed and squirmed on the floor, pushing himself up. The floor was covered in dirty clothes, and the stench of sweat was heavy in the air. He moved some of his and Teddie's dirty shirts across the room with his foot before picking them up and hastily stuffing them into a plastic bag.

Suddenly, the familiar melody of Yosuke's ringtone cuts through the air. He almost jumps two feet across the room before stumbling over to his bed. Nervously, he checked the caller ID.

Dad.

"What the hell, Dad?" Yosuke accepted the call and held his cell phone to his ear. "You gave me a heart attack!"

"Why? Are you doing something you're not meant to be?" his father questioned.

"No, I was-"

"Really? Because the police officer who just visited us seems to suggest otherwise."

Yosuke blonked in surprise. "...what?"

"You heard. A cop just turned up here and asked to see you." his father explained. "What've you been doing?"

"Nothing! I swear on my life, Dad! I've done nothing wrong!" Yosuke almost yelled.

"Alright, alright. Settle down. I believe you."

"Ah." Yosuke breathed a sigh of relief. "So what did you tell the guy?"

"Nothin'. Just that you didn't live with us. He didn't ask anything else, but he left his card." his dad told him. A few seconds if silence followed before he spoke again. "N. Shirogane, Police Detective. There's a phone number on there too, if you need it."

"No, I'll be fine. Thanks anyway, though." Yosuke smiled slightly.

"Okay. Take care of yourself." his dad said. "...and don't forget work on Tuesday."

With a click, the call ended. Yosuke collapsed onto the bed, utterly defeated.

"Breakfast!" Teddie called from the kitchen. Groaning, Yosuke forced himself up yet again and left the bedroom, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Teddie set down a steaming plate of (slightly overcooked) scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. "Eat up!"

"Thanks." Yosuke nodded, taking the fork from the yellow heap and shoveling eggs into his mouth. Teddie sat opposite him and began eating his own breakfast.

"Hey, Ted." Yosuke finished his food, placing his fork in the center of his plate. "It might be a bit to ask, but can you go down to the laundromat? Here, I'll give you two thousand yen to spend on whatever you want, too."

Teddie instantly perked up at the mention of money. "Okay!" he grinned. "Whoo! Two thousand yen, all for me!"

Five minutes later, Teddie was out the door, laundry bag and cash in hand. "I'm off! See you later, Yosuke!" he called, waving his arms frantically as he closed the apartment door behind him.

Yosuke practically leapt for the phone, quickly dialling 110 and pressing the phone hard against his ear. He remembered the text he received and began to sweat, shuddering slightly.

A slight _click_ notified him that his call had been answered. "Hello, police?" Yosuke breathed, tugging on the phone cord. "Someone's after me. I'm scared."

"Okay. Please state your name and location. We'll send out an officer out shortly." a clear, feminine voice responded.

"I-I'm Yosuke Hanamura. I'm in apartment 417 in the Tsukurimoto block." he stammered.

"May I ask who's after you? We may be able to send out a specialist depending on who it is."

"Yakuza. I-I got into a scuffle last night and they sent me a warning message."

"Okay, Mr. Hanamura. Please stay where you are and do not leave the building. We are dispatching an officer to your location and they will arrive shortly." the woman informed him.

"Thanks." Yosuke breathed. He ended the call, placing the wall phone back into its holder before walking to the window.

Yosuke didin't count the seconds, but a little while later, a patrol car pulled up outside and someone stepped out of the passenger seat. They thanked the driver and ran into the building.

The man felt his heart rate increase rapidly. A minute later, there was a sharp rap at the door and he ran to open it.

Yosuke blinked in surprise. It was the boy in blue from last night!

"Greetings, Hanamura-san. My name is Naoto Shirogane." he spoke clearly.

"Sh-Shirogane-san. Nice to meet you." Yosuke stuttered, stepping out of the way. Naoto walked past him.

"You may know already, but I paid a visit to your family residence this morning." Naoto explained briefly. "Hanamura-san, you are currently under high risk of injury or death from the Kitaniji yakuza clan. I recommend you evacuate as soon as possible.

Yosuke swallowed hard. 'High risk of injury or death'. Was he going to be hurt? _Killed?_ "H-How do you know all of this?" Yosuke asked, slightly afraid.

"I have been researching the Kitanijis for almost two years now. The police have made several arrests, but their numbers appear to be rather large." Naoto told him. "If I am not mistaken, they have given you a warning message."

"Yeah. It's on my phone, if you need to read it."

"Your phone?" the short man echoed, sounding genuinely shocked. "Please bring it to me."

Yosuke nodded, hastily moving to his bedroom and grabbing his cell from the bed. The detective was sat at the kitchen table when he returned. The taller man sat opposite him, setting his mobile phone down on the table.

"Would it be alright if I disassemble your phone? There is something I must check for." Naoto looked Yosuke dead in the eye.

"Sure."

Reaching into his coat pocket, the detective pulled out a Swiss army knife and lodged it into the device, pulling the back off of it completely. He took out a magnifying glass and browsed over the circuits, stopping at one particular area and using the knife to dig something out. It was a small, shiny metal square.

"I've got you now." Naoto gazed at it. He took out his phone, taking a picture of it while smiling to himself. "This practically has Kujikawa written all over it."

Before Yosuke could question who Kujikawa was, Naoto walked to the kitchen sink, dropped it in and turned the water on. He watched it run from the tap- swirl the metal chip around inside before flushing it away. The blue-haired boy peered down the drain to check if it had gotten stuck. It obviously hadn't.

"I'll explain. That was a tracking device planted by the Kitaniji genius, Rise Kujikawa. I've been searching for dirt on her for a long time, and now I believe I have it." he smirked. "Anyway. Now that we have disposed of it, I suggest you pack a bag. I'll fix your cell phone while you're gone. Only take what you need."

Yosuke nodded in understanding, leaving the kitchen and entering his room. He grabbed an old backpack from under the bed, stuffing in some clean clothes from the drawer along with his wallet, deodorant and keys. Zipping the bag shut, he slung one strap over his shoulder, put on his blue baseball cap and met up with Naoto in the kitchen.

"I hope you're ready." the detective said, looking at him with bright blue eyes. He held out a plastic water bottle in one hand and Yosuke's cell phone in the other. The taller boy took them both, unzipping his bag so he could stuff them inside. "Dojima-san should still be waiting outside. Come with me."

Closing his backpack, Yosuke hoisted it up onto his shoulders and gave apartment 417 a final look before leaving, knowing he may never see it again.

Following Naoto out of the door, he left for good. Yosuke Hanamura was officially on the run.

* * *

"Ugh!" the girl in pigtails screeched. "He's off the radar!"

"Calm down, Kujikawa-san." the composed man responsed to her commotion. "We haven't lost him yet. I don't think he's left the Inaba district."

She took a deep breath, soothing herself. "Okay." she breathed.

The tall man left the room, adjusting his black blazer. He had work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell us what you think so far! We'd love to hear your thoughts.


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